Vegan Sopes
Try these vegan sopes for a plant-based version of one of the most popular antojitos in Mexico! Crispy masa cakes are slathered with a layer of creamy refried beans and topped with fresh salsa, vegetables, avocado, queso, and so much more.

This foolproof vegan sopes recipe makes it so easy to bring the vibrant flavors of Mexico to your table! The base is made with just masa harina, water, and a pinch of salt, just like garnachas, and it’s so easy to customize to make your own.
Why I love this recipe
Vegan sopes are my favorite dinner recipe when I want to switch up my usual tacos. They’re budget-friendly, quick to make, and incredibly easy to customize. All you have to do is press the dough, cook it, and add your favorite toppings!
They’re golden and crispy on the outside yet soft and tender on the inside. Combined with creamy refried beans and fresh garnishes, each bite has the perfect balance of flavors and textures.
“Huge sopes fan here. This is such a great recipe with so many toppings. I particularly like guacamole and pickled red onions and some habernero. Sooo good! Thanks again!” โ MEGAN
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Ingredient notes
This vegan sopes recipe requires only 3 base ingredients besides the toppings. Find a full breakdown and suitable substitutes below!

Masa harina
For this particular recipe, I used white masa harina. You should be able to find masa harina at any Mexican food market (you may even be able to score fresh masa). If you don’t live near one, check online or the international aisle of large grocery stores.
Substitute: You can switch up the flavor and color with yellow, blue, or even pink varieties.
Refried beans
Youโd be hard-pressed to find many Mexican sopes without homemade refried beans on the bottom layer. To save time, use store-bought refried pinto or black beans.
Salsas
You can easily mix and match the salsas, but I really enjoy vegan Mexican crema, salsa fresca, salsa roja, salsa verde, salsa taquera, and avocado cream sauce.
Cheese
I top my vegan sopes with homemade vegan queso fresco or vegan cotija, but you can use vegan feta or vegan Parmesan cheese if you’d like.
Extras
Tomatoes, shredded lettuce, pickled onions, pickled jalapeรฑos, avocados, cilantro, and radishes all make delicious toppings.
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to the recipe card.
How to make
Learn the best way to make vegan sopes with my straightforward, easy-to-follow instructions. Look for the tips in green throughout this section for consistent and successful results! Also, you can watch my video tutorial down below!
Cooking
Step 1
Mix the masa harina, salt, and water to form a dough just as you would for making corn tortillas. Knead the dough to form a cohesive dough ball that doesn’t stick to your hands too much. Keep mixing and pressing with your palm for a few minutes.
Use warm water to ensure the masa harina fully hydrates, which is essential for a dough that’s pliable yet not sticky.

Step 2
Break off pieces of dough to form small balls about the size of a golf ball. This recipe should yield about 9-10 sopes, but you can make more if you want one-bite sopes.
Use a digital kitchen scale to weigh each dough ball for consistent sizes. Making each one the same size helps them cook at the same rate, making your life much easier!

Step 3
If you have a tortilla press, line it with 2 pieces of a Ziplock bag or wax paper. Open the press and place a ball of dough in the center. Place the other plastic piece on top and close the press down quite gently to form thick tortillas about ยผ-inch.
A ยผ-inch thickness is ideal for creating a base that’s sturdy enough to hold generous toppings yet tender enough to bite into easily.


Step 4
Heat a cast-iron skillet to medium. Add a sope and cook on the first side for 60-70 seconds. Flip and cook for another 60-90 seconds, or until brown spots are forming and itโs puffing slightly.

Step 5
Remove each sope from the heat and let it rest while you cook the rest. After 30-60 seconds, pull a little dough from the inner portion of the cooked sope and pinch it out to the edge to form a ridge all the way around.
30-60 seconds is the sweet spot for shaping your ridges. Doing it while the dough is too will singe your poor fingers. Too cool, and the dough will be too difficult to mold.

Step 6
Shallow fry each sope for about 30 seconds on both sides until they turn a light gold color. Transfer the cooked sopes to a paper towel-lined plate to remove any excess oil.
Frying adds a crunchy texture and depth of flavor but isn’t 100% necessary. If you choose to fry them, keep the oil temperature around 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and don’t overcrowd the pan.


Step 7
Add a layer of refried beans to the bottom of the sopes. Top each one with fresh garnishes, lime wedges, hot sauce, etc. Happy eating!


Expert tip
The dough is a pivotal component of these vegan sopes since the recipe is so simple. You want it to be pliable yet not sticky, which means you may need to adjust the water depending on your particular masa harina and elevation.
It should be moist enough to form dough balls without cracking and dry enough to maintain its shape once cooked. Warm water helps make the dough more workable, resulting in softer, more tender sopes once cooked.
I also recommend resting the dough for a few minutes while you heat your comal or skillet. This rest period allows the masa to hydrate fully and the dough to become more cohesive, which is necessary for rolling and shaping the sopes without them falling apart.
Serving suggestions
As a general rule of thumb, sopes are topped with refried beans, followed by proteins (like shredded chicken), fresh vegetables, and salsas.
Using this framework, you can try topping your vegan sopes with other options, like vegan chorizo, jackfruit carnitas, and shredded vegan chicken. You can even add some Chipotle-style garnishes, like roasted chili corn salsa and chipotle fajita veggies.
Cooking tips
Use a comal or cast iron: A comal provides a better char and smoky flavor to the sopes. If you don’t have a comal, cast iron is another great choice for evenly distributing the heat.
Donโt over-flatten: Sopes are supposed to be thicker than tortillas, so donโt press down too hard. If you do, just roll it up and try again!
Press the sopes: When you flip the sopes to the second side, press on them gently with a spatula to help them evenly cook in the middle.
Save your fingers: The sopes need to be warm when you pinch them. You can use a towel or napkin while completing this step to prevent burning your fingers.

Frequently asked questions
Although traditional sopes are fried, you can easily make them without frying them. Just top them once they are done cooking in the skillet or comal.
Add a little more water, one tablespoon at a time. The dough should be moist enough to prevent cracking yet not so sticky that you can’t shape it into balls.
Ensure the oil is hot enough before frying, around 350 degrees Fahrenheit to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. This prevents excessive oil absorption.
Storing & reheating
If you have leftover vegan sopes, you have a few different storage options. To prevent condensation, let them cool to room temperature before storing.
Fridge
Store the bases in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They keep best when separated by parchment paper to prevent sticking. If possible, store your sopes prior to frying them in oil for better storage and reheating.
Freezer
You can freeze your sopes on a baking sheet before transferring them to a freezer bag for up to 6-8 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight prior to using them.
Reheating
Fry the sopes on medium heat for 20-30 seconds per side. If you prefer oil-free sopes, heat each side on a dry skillet or comal over medium or the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until they’re warm and crispy.
Watch how to make it
More vegan Mexican recipes
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Recipe

Best Vegan Sopes
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Cast-iron skillet
- Tortilla warmer or towel
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina
- 1 ยฝ cups warm water
- ยผ tsp salt
- Neutral oil for frying
To serve
- 1-1 ยฝ cups refried beans
- Vegan queso fresco
- Vegan cotija cheese
- Salsa fresca
- Vegan Mexican crema
- Pickled jalapeรฑos
- Pickled red onions
- Vegan chorizo
- Jackfruit carnitas
- Avocado cubes
- Lime wedges
- Cilantro
Instructions
Dough
- Add the masa harina and salt to a large bowl and whisk. Then, pour in 1 ยฝ cups of warm water and mix together with your hands.
- Knead the dough to form a ball that's sticky enough to stay together, but not coming off on your hands too much. Keep mixing and pressing with your palm for a few minutes.
- If the dough appears too crumbly, add a tablespoon of water at a time until the texture resembles play dough. If it becomes too sticky, add in a little more masa harina.
Rolling
- Break off pieces of the masa to form small balls (about 60-65 grams each, or the size of a golf ball). Roll each piece of dough in between your palms until smooth. Cover them with a tea towel on your counter or a cutting board.
Pressing
- If you have a tortilla press, cut a zip-top bag or wax paper into 2 pieces that will fit into the press (one for each side of the sope).
- Open the press and place a dough ball in the center on a piece of plastic. Place the other piece on top and close the press down quite gently to form tortillas about ยผ-inch thick.
- If you don't have a tortilla press, place your ball of dough between the same 2 pieces of plastic on your counter. Press the dough down with the bottom of a baking dish or flat plate.
Cooking
- Preheat a cast-iron skillet up to medium. Then, add a sope in and cook on the first side for 60-70 seconds. Flip and cook for another 60-90 seconds, or until brown spots are forming and it's puffing slightly.
- Remove from heat and let rest while you add in the next batch of sopes. After about 30-60 seconds, pull a little dough from the inner portion of the cooked sope out to the edge with your thumb and index finger. Do this all the way around to form a ridge. Cover the sopes with a tea towel, and repeat this process with the rest.
Serving
- Heat about a ยผ cup of neutral oil in the same skillet over medium. Fry each sope on both sides for about 30 seconds, or until they are light gold in color. Remove from heat and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to get rid of any excess oil.
- Serve your sopes with a layer of refried beans on the bottom. Top them with optional garnishes like salsa fresca, avocado, vegan queso fresco, vegan Mexican crema, cilantro, lime juice, or hot sauce. Happy eating!
Notes
Nutrition
Note: Iโve updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.
Mitch Chapman is a food writer, photographer, and one of the founders of Broke Bank Vegan. With a background in healthcare and the restaurant industry, he has a passion for sharing healthy yet flavorful plant-based food.
Where did the old recipe go?? ๐
Hi Day,
Hmm, we haven’t changed our recipe! Are you referring to this one or another one?
What a delicious recipe! I had never made sopes before, but your step-by-step directions for mixing the masa and making each masa cake was super helpful. I don’t have a tortilla press so I used my cast iron skillet and it worked great. I’ll be making these again and again!
Hi Melinda,
We’re so happy to know the instructions were helpful! The cast-iron skillet is easy and handy when you don’t have a press ๐ Thanks for your feedback!
I made these sopes for dinner last night and omg were they delicious! I’ll definitely be adding them to our regular rotation!
Hey Tayler,
We love to hear that! Sopes are one of our regulars too ๐
I hadn’t made sopes in years. These were so good I may have to spring for a tortilla press. Thanks!
Thank you so much for this great recipe. I always wanted to work with Masa and with your direction, I was able to turn out some banging sopes. I can’t wait to make these again when the kids come over.
Hi Bernice!
That’s awesome to hear! We’re happy to know the instructions were so helpful ๐
Iโd never heard of sopes but will be making them regularly from now on! These little treats are absolutely delicious.
Hi Elizabeth,
We’re so happy you stumbled on the recipe! That’s great that you enjoyed them!
Sopes recipe looks like a winner.
Hey Daniel,
It’s one of our favorites! Thanks for the comment ๐
Huge sopes fan here. This is such a great recipe with so many toppings. I particularly like guacamole and pickled red onions and some habernero. Sooo good! Thanks again!
Hi Megan,
Same here!! They are so fun to experiment with different toppings. We are really happy to know you enjoyed the recipe!
I made these for a vegan friend and she absolutely loved them and asked for the recipe. I sent her to your website!
Hi Dennis,
That’s so great! Thank you for recommending our website! We are happy you both loved them!
I am not sure if I can find masa here in Switzerland but will
Sure try to source it from
Somewhere. This sounds like such a delicious snack.
Hi Sunrita,
You might be able to order it online there. We hope you can find some to enjoy this snack!
Looks delicious I need to try this as crispy masa. Perfect snack idea.
Hi Swathi!
It’s super good! Hope you love it as much as we do!
I enjoy making new ethic dishes for my family and glad I came across this one. The sopes are delicious and I especially like these are plant-based.
Hi Stephanie!
We are so happy you found this recipe as well! Glad everyone enjoyed them ๐
Never heard of sopes before, but it does really sound good. Must put this on my baking list this weekend!
Hi Andrea!
That’s great! We hope you enjoy making them ๐ They are such a delicious snack!